Olden Polynice

Utah Jazz center Olden Polynice has been charged with impersonating a police officer and disorderly conduct stemming from a traffic dispute last month at Salt Lake City. West Valley prosecutor John Huber said Friday that Polynice chased another motorist Oct. 28. Polynice told authorities he had been cut off in traffic. The player, who police say flashed a badge at the motorist, refused comment as he left the Delta Center after Friday morning's shoot-around.

Fair leather fan San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili , on his foot bursting through the side of his custom Nikes during a game against Detroit, forcing him to put on a new pair: "I don't know what happened. I stopped and my foot kept going. It just happened. First time it's happened in my career. Very weird, but no big deal. " No Magic formula Former NBA big man Olden Polynice , on the state of the league: "The product that's being put out there is trash.

Olden Polynice, the Clippers' Haitian-born reserve center, has noted with more than passing interest the rebel uprising that has driven government forces from about half his homeland over the last two weeks. Polynice, who has spent most of the season on the injured list, was brought to the United States when he was 7 and he still has relatives in the Caribbean nation, including his 68-year-old father and a brother.

Thanks for the memories, Benoit. May the change of scenery inspire you, and let us hope that the trade ultimately helps the SuperSonics, the Clippers and both you and the newest Clipper, Olden Polynice. ANDREW E. RUBIN Santa Monica

A few words of appreciation are surely due Olden Polynice of the Clippers. A surprise starter for most of the season, he performed far better than any Clipper fan had a right to expect. Relegated to bench duty in the final weeks, he neither complained nor sulked. Instead, Polynice became the team's No. 1 cheerleader and an inspiration to his teammates. And finally, Polynice participated in the cleanup effort after last week's horrifying riots. Even if Seattle wins the world title and Olden Polynice never plays another game, I think we can all agree that the Benoit Benjamin trade may be, in retrospect, the Clippers' finest hour.

The Detroit Pistons' Olden Polynice and Seattle SuperSonics' Shawn Kemp were fined $8,000 apiece and five other players a total of $7,500 for their parts in incidents in two NBA exhibitions. Others fined were the Phoenix Suns' Tom Chambers, $3,500; Denver Nuggets' Scott Hastings, $2,500, and Phoenix's Charles Barkley, Danny Ainge and Oliver Miller, $500 apiece.

For all intents, Olden Polynice is an assistant coach earning a player's salary from the Clippers. Signed by the team last summer after two seasons out of the league, the NBA journeyman, in his 15th year in the league, has spent all but five games on the injured list. His only time on the court was a nine-minute stint in a Dec. 3 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In languishing outside the NBA the last two seasons, Olden Polynice grew bitter and frustrated, angry that nobody wanted him. How could it be, he kept asking himself, that no team needed a savvy, hard-working 7-footer who was the Utah Jazz's starting center three seasons ago? A spiritual awakening, he says, finally lifted him out of his funk, helped him land a one-year contract with the Clippers and prompted him to dump jersey No. 0, which he had worn throughout his 14-year NBA career.

After searching far and wide for a frontcourt veteran, the Clippers on Monday signed center-forward Olden Polynice, 38, who last played in the NBA in 2000-01. "The fact is, Kevin Willis has something left and keeps himself in excellent shape and he's older than Olden," said Elgin Baylor, Clipper general manager. "I'm not saying Olden will play 40 minutes a game, but there's no reason he can't give us quality minutes."

Utah Jazz center Olden Polynice has been charged with impersonating a police officer and disorderly conduct stemming from a traffic dispute last month at Salt Lake City. West Valley prosecutor John Huber said Friday that Polynice chased another motorist Oct. 28. Polynice told authorities he had been cut off in traffic. The player, who police say flashed a badge at the motorist, refused comment as he left the Delta Center after Friday morning's shoot-around.

Seattle SuperSonic center Olden Polynice was fined $5,000 for making an obscene gesture at fans after Seattle's game in Sacramento on Monday, the league said. Seattle won, 105-102, in a game that featured several scuffles and saw Sacramento center Vlade Divac ejected. Polynice, who played for the Kings from 1994 to 1998, was booed throughout the game. "There isn't enough money in the world to take the kind of abuse I took," Polynice told the Seattle Times. "These people were totally classless.

Olden Polynice, former Clipper now playing for the Detroit Pistons, was suspected of assault with a deadly weapon Monday morning after his girlfriend told police he had pointed a loaded handgun at her outside her Woodland Hills home. Polynice, 28, was arrested about an hour after the incident at his Brentwood home and released on $20,000 bail about 11 a.m., LAPD Sgt. Roger Ferguson said. Yvette Avana, 26, told police that she and Polynice had an argument outside her house about 6 a.m.